The cost of Diabetes is threatening to bankrupt the UK medical system due to a 60% increase in the disease over the past 10 years. Medication for dealing with diabetes reflects 10% of the NHS drugs bill – which is 869 million pounds every year. The overall cost of dealing with diabetes is a staggering 10billions pounds annually in the UK; and these costs are continuing to grow.
The sad truth is that every week in the UK there are 130 people who have amputations due to complications with Diabetes. And the impact on quality of life is the greatest cost to the individual. This disease is entirely preventable as the two biggest factors driving this dramatic rise in the population are lifestyle and obesity.
Whilst this is an ever growing disaster for the UK heath system; Australia is not far behind. Statistics for Diabetes in Australia show that 275 people are diagnosed every day and over 4% of the Australian population have the disease. This is growing unnecessarily as the research is unequivocal that changing lifestyle, modifying your diet and adding a structured exercise routine are vital to prevent and when required, treat type 2 diabetes.